Rating:  - simply beautiful
One of the classic books on the history of the development of computers and the characters that use them.
Rating: - This is not a new book
How can this be listed as a new book? I read the book years ago. You should clearly state the differences between this new edition of the book and the previous edition. Otherwise, people will buy the book and be VERY disappointed when they realize that they have already read it!
Rating: - The real definition of hackers
The media have taken a wonderful concept and twisted it into a vision of criminals. Don't be misled. Levy understands what the true definition of a hacker is. It's about having a thirst for knowledge so great that you'll go to extraordinary lengths to learn more and to find ways to apply that knowledge to make things do more then anyone ever imagined that they could. This concept is what moves technology forward at such a great pace.
The book reads like a novel. It gives you a first hand glimpse into the hacker mentality and culture that it has created. If you are intrigued by what computer programmers do, this book will give you an excellent insight into the topic. If you are a programmer, or thinking about becoming a programer - this is one of the most inspirational books that you could ever read.
Rating:  - A pretty damn good book
This, in my opinion, is an excellent book. It is informative about what a hacker really does. This book is very reader friendly but at the same time doesn't tell you the information as if you were a first grader with your finger in your nose. Steven Levy did a good job in accurately describing hackers. He didn't label them as criminals but as curious onlookers searching for information in a high-tech world. A well done book!
Rating: - Mr. Levy is like a neo-Tom Wolfe. Highly readable.
I've owned this book for about 15 years, and have read it perhaps 30 or more times. The tale is familiar by now, but the storytelling is compelling, and the subject matter fascinating.
Hackers covers the computer revolution- from research lab to home- up to approximately 1984, right before the Commodore 64 took over as #1 home computer. Even though the book is a large one, Mr. Levy keeps the focus on a single winding narrative throughout. This makes the book interesting to read and relatively easy to follow, but unfortunately tends to leave out parts of the computer revolution that don't fit into his rigid outline.
The outline is as follows: hacking begins at MIT and spreads to Stanford, and we see the genesis of video games in Spacewar. A new movement sprouts in post-hippie California with the release of Intel's first 8-bit chips, and this movement- dedicated to homebrew and user-built systems- is the font from which the Altair and the Apple II spring. Finally, the narrative ends on the rise of game software companies- especially Sierra- on the strength of the Apple II's market share. There's also an epilogue on Richard Stallman. While other stories are recounted in short fashion along the way- John Harris' Sierra/Frogger/Atari story in particular- little is done to acknowledge the larger picture of the industry, whether it's universities outside of MIT and Stanford or Atari's massive rise to and fall from power.
Steven Levy writes much like Tom Wolfe circa-"Right Stuff", and the overall theme and feel of the book is the same as much of Tom Wolfe's books- an expose of a (then) little understood sub-culture, written in an engaging fashion. Even Mr. Levy's use of coined words, phrases, and lingo is much like Tom Wolfe. Technical jargon will be introduced with a simple definition, and then used through the next few chapters either in an ironic fashion, or to let readers feel "in" with the scenario being written about. Bizarre wording and odd phrases also pop up- sometimes apparently for show- and are then repeated over and over. "Croseus Mode" is used over and over to refer to wealth- phrasing like this seems gratuitous and I find it jarring to read, but that's just a personal preference.
Much of the Apple portion of the book will be familiar for those who watched Pirates of Silicon Valley. Just like that TV movie, the book transcends the culture from which it arose, and is great reading for anyone interested in pop culture, sociology, business, or computers.
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